Snap-movement valve mechanism



c. F. BRAND. SNAP MOVEMENT VALVE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9, I920- PatentedNov. 1,1921.

PATENT OFFICE.

CEARLE S F. BRAND, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

. SNAP-MOVEMENT VALVE MECHANISM.

Specification or Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

Application filed October 9, 1920. Serial No. 415,768.

To all whom it may concern:

-Be it known that I, CHARLES F. BRAND, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Wheeling, county of Ohio, and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Snap-Movement Valve Mechanisms, of which the following'is' a specification.

This invention relates broadly to regulating valves, and more particularly to control valves of the snap-movement type disclosed in my prior Patents Nos. 1,17 5,695, 1,314,243 and 1,814,244; and it has for its principal object to structurally improve and simplify the valves of said patents, providing a. mechanism having'adjustments by which it may be rendered extremely sensitive and which is designed for actuation with a minimum of travel of its operating lever.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of the character mentioned by which the valve is actuated to moveinstantly from its seated closing position to wide-open position, permitting full and unobstructed flow of the controlled temperature-raising medium, and also by which said valve is lowered toward its seat by a gradual slow-closing movement for eflecting'a gradual reduction inthe flow of said medium, until, near the end of its travel, it is actuated to complete its movement instantly, or to seat with a sudden snap, so that firm seating thereof is insured. I

It should here be explained that, in the employment of house-heating systems, when the temperature has fallen to or below a predetermined point, it is ordinarily desirable that the same be raised promptly; also that the reduction following a rise of temperature above a predetermined point should be more or less gradual. Further, when gas is the medium controlled,it is important thatthe final closing movement of the valve should be instantaneous and forcible in order to insure such a firm seating thereof as will positively prevent leakageof gas. Additionally,it is essential that the final valve-closing movement be rapid in order to obviate the possibility of backflashing to the mixer of the gas burner which would otherwise be likely to result near the end of the closing movement due to the' reduction in the volume of gas supplied. As above indicated, the present in ventlon is designed to meet the desiderata lVith these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the features of construction, arrangement of parts and combinations of elements which will hereinafter be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention, showing the parts in valve-closed position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section, of the main working parts of the structure, the Same being shown in their elevated position; and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the inner end of the operating lever and some of the asso ciatedparts.

Referring to said drawings, 1 indicates the valve and 2 the valve casing, the latter having rigidly mounted thereon the substantially U-shaped yoke 3. Extending upward between the upright members 3 and 3 of said yoke is the valve stem 4 which projects a suitable distance above the packing gland 5 and which has threaded upon itsupper end the shank portion of a head 6 within which said valve stem is adjustable. Loosely embracing said shank is a collar or washer 7 against which rests the upper end of a light coil spring 8' having its lower end seated upon a jam nut, 9 which is adjustable upon said valve stem intoand out of a position in which the springembraced shank thereof assumes binding or locking relation to the shank of said head 6. Said washer is disposed in underlying relation to the lower ends of two companion links 10 which are pivotally attached through the intermediacy of a pivot pin 27 to the upper end of said head and which have their upper ends mounted upon the opposite ends of a pivot pin 11 carried by the lower intermediate portion of a saddle plate 12'of approximately U-shape in cross section. Pivoted upon said pivot pin 11 between the walls of said saddle plate 12 is one end of a,link 18 which has its opposite end mounted in like manner upon a fulcrum pin 14 carried by the bifurcated upper end of the yoke member 3%. Also pivoted upon said fulcrum pin are the lower front ends of thewalls of said saddle plate and the opposite forks 15 of a bifurcated operatin leverj15, said forks being disposed in stra dling relation to said saddle plate, as shown. IA link 16 has one end pivotally attached to the upper rear end portion of the saddle plate 12 and projects rearwardly outward from the latter and has its opposite end pivotally attached tosaid lever 15. A similar link 17 mounted at one end upon a pin 28 carried by the lower rear end portion of said saddle plate has its opposite end pivotally attached to a pin 26 carried by the upper end of a rocker member 18 which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends upon the. member 3 of the yoke 3. A rod or pin 19 carried by the lower end of said rocker 18 projects outward through an eye 20 provided in said member 3 and carries on its outer end an adjusting nut 21 betherewith associated mechanism, whereby the valve is normally maintained closed, as shown in Fig. 1.

In, the said normal position of the parts.

an intermediate portion of the lever 15 rests upon the upper end of the rocker 18 and a force is exerted through the link 16, which then occupies a position in which it has a slight upward and forward inclination, whereby the saddle plate 12 is rocked forward upon the pivot pin 11 as a fulcrum to a position in which the fulcrum pin 14 is ;received against the rearmost portions of the thereby penetrated eyes 25 of said saddle plate, said eyes having a diameter greatly in excess of that of said pin 14. Also, in

said normal position, the said pivot pin 11 occupies a position below the line of force exerted by the spring 22 between the upper end of the rocker 18 and the fulcrum pin 14, and, due tothe downwardly directed force exerted through the then downwardly and rearwardly inclined link 13, the valve 1 is firmly maintained in seated position.

' When the diaphragm 01- other movable member of the temperature regulator moves fupward. with the'lowering of the tempera- Fig. 1...In the initial portion of this elevating movement the outer end of the link,

ture, it acts through the chain 23 to gradually-elevate the outer end of the lever 15 from thenormal position thereof shown in l6wis elevated,.and, by (lengthwise force appliedtherethrough, said link gradually lifts fthe'rear end of the saddle plate12 until v the link 17 has been carried over the center of the 11116 of force exerted between the upper end of the rocker 18 and the fulcrum p n 14, whereupon the saddle plate rocks forward-9n the pivot pin 11 with asuclden movement or jump to a position in which the topmost portions of the eyes 25 seat upon said fulcrum pin 14. In this intermediate position the valve 1 remains firmly seated,

being held to its seat through downwardly directed force exerted by the downwardly and rearwardly inclined link 13. Continued upward movement of the lever 15 is without result until'the link 16 has been elevated to a position in which it sharply inclines in an upwardly and rearwardly inclined direction, whereupon force is exerted therethrough whereby the saddle plate is rocked forward upon the fulcrum pin 14 slightly past the point where it has effected elevation of the link 13 into line with the fulcrum pin 14 and the pivot 26 in the upper end of the rocker 18. Tliereupon, actuated by the spring 22, the parts move instantaneously, or with a jump, to the positions shown in Fig. 2. In said final movement the valve 1 is carried instantly from its fully closed position to wide-open position.

Itwill be noted that the pivot. pins 11- and 27 carrying the opposite ends of the "links 10 are mounted loosely so that. there is sufiicient play or lost motion to permit of the slight elevation of the saddle plate 12 and the link .13 to carry the latter past the point where it is in line with the fulcrum pin 14 andthe pivot 26, as aforesaid, without an .upward'drawing force being exerted upon the valve.- To compensate for this play or lost motion and at the same time to hold the valve firmly seated, the spring 8 is provided. The washer 7-follows said links in the upthe initial portion of the final lifting of the saddle plate, but maintains said spring 8 under sufficient tension to hold the valve seated until a lifting force is exerted through said links. At practically the same instantthatthis valve-lifting force is applied the. link-13 passes over the-center and the valve is instantly shifted to wide-open position, as hereinbefore explained.

'In the downward movement ofthe lever,

permitted by gradual relaxation of the tension placed upon the chain by the regulator,

the parts gradually descend against the resistance offered by .thespring 22, the valve "being gradually closed by force applied thereto through thesaddle plate 12 and the linkslO, until at a point where the line of force between the fulcrum pin- 14 and the pivot 26 'is crossed by the pivot'pin 11, the

fspring22 supplements the weight 24, wherebyithe final part ofthe'closing movement of the valveis effected with an instantaneous .-sna,p r; V. I 7 The construction described provides for adjustment to the extent that a minimum of force-is required to elevate the lever 15 and the movable parts associated therewith for effecting full opening of the valve. Further,

ward movementof the latter-permitted by r the distance throughout which the lever must be moved to actuate the valve from one limit of movement to the other is relatively slight.

What is claimed is- 1. A snap-movement valve mechanism comprising a valve, a yoke associated with said valve, :1 member fulcrumed upon an arm of said yoke and having flexible connection with the opposite arm of said yoke, a lever pivoted upon the first-mentioned arm of said yoke and having flexible connection with said member and adapted for movement to produce initial actuations of the latter, means yieldingly resisting said initial actuations and accelerating final movements of said member, flexible connections between said member and the stem of said valve, and yieldable means whereby said valve is maintained seated during elevating movement of said member until the accelerating movement occurs.

2. A snap-movement valve mechanism comprising a valve, a support disposed in fixed relation to said valve, a member fulcrumed upon an arm of said support and having flexible connection with an opposite arm, a lever pivoted upon the first-mentioned arm of said yoke and having link connection with said member and adapted for move ment to produce initial actuations of the latter, means yieldingly resisting said initial actuations and accelerating final movements of said member, flexible connections between said member and the stem of said valve, and a spring arranged to maintain said valve seated throughout the elevation of said memher to the point at which final accelerated movement begins.

3. A snap-movement valve mechanism comprising a valve having a stein, a yoke disposed in fixed relation to said valve, a rocker pivoted to one arm of said yoke, a spring associated with said rocker and tending to maintain the upper end of the latter in a forwardly thrust position, a member having pivoted link connection at one end with said rocker and having pivotal connection at itsopposite end with the opposite yoke arm, said member also having a pivoted connection intermediate its ends with said valve stem, a lever having pivoted link connection with said member and adapted to be raised and lowered to initiate movements of the latter from its opposite limits of oscillation, said spring, being adapted to actuate said member to complete the initiated movements in both directions for opening or closing the valve instantaneously, a spring disposed to exert pressure whereby said valve is maintained seated until near the end of the elevating movement of said member, and means for adjusting the tension of the lastinentioned springs.

4. A snap-movement valve mechanism comprising a valve having a stem, a yoke disposed in fixed relation to said valve, a rocker pivoted to one arm of said yoke, a spring associated with said rocker and tending to maintain the upper end of the latter in a forwardly thrust position, a member having pivoted link connection at one end with said rocker and having pivotal connection at its opposite end with the opposite yoke arm, said member also having pivoted link connection intermediate its ends with said valve stem, a lever fulcrumed upon the first-mentioned yoke arm and having link connection with said member and adapted to be raised and lowered to initiate movement of the latter from its opposite limits of oscillation, said spring being adapted to actuate said member to complete the initiated movements in both directions for opening or closing the valve instantaneously, and a spring interposed between the valve stem and the links connecting said valve stem to said member whereby lost motion between said parts is taken up during elevating movement of said member and the valve is held seated until near the end of said movement.

5. A snap-movement valve mechanism comprising a valve having a stem, a yoke disposed in fixed relation to said valve, a rocker pivoted to one arm of said yoke, a spring associated with said rocker and tending to maintain the upper end of the latter in forwardly thrust position, a member having pivoted link connection at one end with said rocker andhaving pivotal connection at its opposite end with the opposite yoke arm, a socketed element with respect to which the upper end of the valve stem is adjustable, links connecting said element to said member, a jam nut adjustably carried by said stem. a spring interposed between said jam nut and the adjacent ends of said links, and a lever connected to said member and adapted to be raised and lowered to initiate movement of said member from its opposite limits of oscillation.

In. testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of a subscribing witness.

CHARLES F. BRAND. Witness:

G. 0. SMITH. 

